CREOLE HOT SAUSAGE

Grilled or pan-fried on the side with red beans and rice, or on a po-boy,
or even (sparingly) in gumbo ... mmmmm, this stuff is great. And hot.
Add it to smothered vegetables, or use it as a breakfast sausage.

My grandfather Joe Luquet used to make his own hot sausage for the meat
counter at Niedermeier's, the Bywater
neighborhood grocery store he and my grandmother Dot Luquet née Niedermeier
used to run at the corner of Mazant and Royal Streets. I was a little too young
to remember how he did it, but it was probably very much like this excellent recipe.

4 pounds lean fresh pork

2 pounds pork fat

2 teaspoons finely minced garlic

3-4 tablespoons cayenne pepper

2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons salt

3 teaspoons ground bay leaf (use a coffee or spice grinder)

3 tablespoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon sugar

3 yards sausage casing (optional)

Grind the pork and fatback to a medium to coarse grind, and mix well with
the other ingredients. Stuff into sausage casings, and tie them off so
that each sausage is about six inches long. You can omit this step and
make sausage patties if you like.

Fresh sausage should be used quickly, and will keep in the refrigerator
for three days. You can also freeze it for up to three months.